干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The caryopses of three wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) genotypes, including xeric and mesic populations in Israel, and a Swedish cultivated barley, ’Mona’, were used for the study of the differences in mechanisms of primary dormancy and seedling revival ability from long periods of drought. The results of tests of the cultivar Mona and genotype Sede Boker showed opposite responses of primary dormancy and revival ability. ’Mona’ had no primary dormancy and relatively lower revival ability. The Sede Boker genotype had the highest rates of primary dormancy and relatively higher seedling drought tolerance even after 2 years of storage at 5 degreesC. The intensity of primary dormancy of the other two genotypes, Wadi Kelt and Maalot, fell between the two extremes. The seedling revival ability of Maalot was higher than that of Sede Boker. Irrigation treatments at Sede Boker to the parents from which the caryopses were collected, equivalent to 200 or 400 mm of rain, had no significant effect on the germination and revival ability of the progeny.